1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector locking construction.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,761 and FIG. 36 herein disclose a locking construction for a connector. With reference to FIG. 36, the connector has a female housing 1 with a lock arm 2 that can undergo a seesaw-like resilient deformation. The connector also has a male housing 3 with an engaging portion 4 that is engageable with a lock 5 at the front end of the lock arm 2. An operable portion 6 is provided at the rear end of the lock arm 2. The lock 5 moves onto the engaging portion 4 at an intermediate stage of a connecting operation of the female and male housings 1, 3. Thus, the lock arm 2 resiliently inclines about a fulcrum 7. The lock 5 passes the engaging portion 4 when the housings 1, 3 are connected properly. Thus, the lock arm 2 returns to its initial position so that the lock 5 engages the rear surface of the engaging portion 4. As a result, the housings 1, 3 are locked together. The operable portion 6 can be pressed in this locked state to incline the lock arm 2 in a manner to bring the front side of the lock arm 2 up. Accordingly, the lock 5 disengages from the engaging portion 4 so that the housings 1, 3 can be separated.
The fulcrum 7 of the lock arm 2 can be thickened to increase the rigidity of the fulcrum 7 and to increase the locking strength of the connector. However, a larger force then is required to forcibly incline the lock arm 2 for canceling the locked state. Conversely, efforts to reduce the unlocking force result in a poor locking strength. Thus, there have been competing demands to increase in the locking strength and reduce the unlocking force.
The lock 5 engages the rear surface of the engaging portion 4 when the lock arm 2 is restored resiliently in the locked state. A lock feeling is generated at this time by letting the lock 5 make a hitting sound or a clicking feeling upon hitting a part of the mating male housing 3 immediately after the engaging portion 4. However, restoration of the seesaw-shaped lock arm 2 sometimes is canceled when a finger or another part contacts the rear end of the lock arm 2 near the operable portion 6. Thus, a sufficient lock feeling often is not generated.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to realize both an increase in a locking strength and a reduction in an unlocking force and additionally to stabilize a lock feeling.